Norwegian Joergen Graabak Wins Olympic Gold in Nordic Combined

Nordic Combined: Norwegian Joergen Graabak Wins Olympic Gold

Joergen Graabak has been crowned Olympic champion for the second time in his career in the Nordic combined large hill event. This was confirmed after the completion of the 10-kilometer cross-country ski race on Tuesday.

Graabak, who is 30 years old, triumphed ahead of his teammate Jens Luraas Oftebro and Japan's Akito Watabe. The battle for the medals came down to a sprint in the final moments of the race.

Graabak's victory marks his second Olympic gold, the first being in Sochi 2014 on the large hill as well. Along with his individual victory, he previously claimed team gold in 2014 and individual silver in 2018.

During the event, Graabak and Oftebro started at 12th and 10th places respectively after the jump on the large hill, trailing Jarl Magnus Riiber, who had a significant lead but struggled in the cross-country segment.

In a dramatic turn of events, Riiber lost his lead after taking the wrong turn during the ski run, allowing Graabak and Oftebro to chase down the competition.

Graabak's strong performance was notable as he had previously missed the start of the Games due to a positive COVID-19 test. In the end, the first French competitor was Antoine Gérard, finishing in 14th place, followed by Matteo Baud in 21st and Laurent Muhlethaler in 26th.